~Jay Farrar and an updated cast turn the amps up loud and make us forget thier long absence. Ive always like Jay much better with a strong band more than his solo work.

The Heartless Bastards- Stairs and Elevators

~Im slightly embarrassed to say I got in on these guys late, and am frantically catching up, they are carrying the bluesy Black Keys torch well.

~Seriously, do I need to comment here? The buzz created for this band made them most of what they are, which is only average in my opinon….

~Another amazing effort for The Mountain Goats.
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~Yes, this is its own category now, with Adams 3 releases, this double disc did it for me….
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~Im so predictable sometimes….
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~Yeah, this is so much better than “take them on, on your own”, that was really unlistenable.
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~I thought this only happened in hip hop? But Stars, Metric, Feist, Apostle of Hustle and it just goes on, and not a stinker in the bunch really.
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~This is your first step in learning Porteguese, Bowie covers. (sorry Kozelek)
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~See this review….
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~And apologies to CYHSY, because Wolf Parade was also a huge hype machine starting before this time last year, and I bought this album. And I dont see what the buzz is about. Lots of fans out there though, so to you, my apologies.
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~You could have done so much better….
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~They are taking over the world!!!!!!!!!
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Ok, I guess thats enough for my obscure awards, on to the Top 11…….
#11 Sigur Ros- Takk

Sigur Ros is beautiful, again. Having seem them live enhances the product quite a bit too. Takk is not really the “more accessible” album it was billed as, but quite nice nonetheless.
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#10 Andrew Bird- Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs

Andrew Bird really grew on me with this album, the initial listens were dry but the brilliance of the album and of course the whistling, shone through over time.
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#9 Final Fantasy- Has a Good home

Owen Pallett is Final Fantasy, a nice pop song writer and a very good and has quite a knack for arranging strings.(see Arcade Fire) This effort was way off my radar and look where it ended up….
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#8 M Ward- Transistor Radio

M Ward is one of my personal favorites, so even when he takes a half step back with Transistor, its still top 10 material for me. Transfigurations is a classic, but this turned into a nice follow up released early this year.
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#7 Okkervil River- Black Sheep Boy

This was also a late riser and my first intro to a great band with a solid back catalouge as well. Will Sheff appears to have that storyteller approach im a sucker for.
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#6 Iron and Wine/ Calexico- In the Reins

Sam Beam makes my list for the 2nd straight year. Well, this is a great effort and great combo, if you dont know of I and W and Calexico yet, check them out now.
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#5 My Morning Jacket- Z

Jim and the boys muster up another must have this year. Z is a nice natural progression from It Still Moves, which was another tough act to follow in my opinion. Solid througout, Z makes the top 5.
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#4 Spoon- Gimme Fiction

Spoon is becoming one of the best. Gimme Fiction is exactaly what a Spoon fan would expect but better.
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#3 The Mountain Goats- The Sunset Tree

The lyrics of one John Darnielle are stunning again. The music is good, the lyrics are brilliant.
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#2 The Decemberists- Picaresque

This album has spun over and over this year in my player. Could this be the peak of the Decemberists? Meloy is as well read as any songwriter, and the band is very tight. Could have been #1, but I hate ties.
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#1 Sufjan Stevens- Come on feel the Illinoise!

Everything about this has already been said, but it wins for me. Beautiful songs all around well put together and played. I hope you werent looking for a surprise finish…..
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Also see my best of list for 2004

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